190 BERGER VLDs not performing?

[magedon44]

Hey guys I just recently bought my first box of Berger bullets to try after all the hype on them. I worked up a few 3/4 MOA groups out of my tikka 300 wsm and afterwards decided to shoot a freshly cut log to see the devastation, the log was hard and had just been cut, so please dont think this was a small punky piece of wood..... I shot the log at 100 yards..when i walked up to it i found a single hole through the log and my bullet laying perfectly on top of the snow right behind it. The bullet didnt even expand??? The bullet was slightly deformed and the hollow tip was filled with wood. Is this normal or have any of you others seen this? Imagine if that log was a deer or elk that i shot in the liver or made a bad hit on? Let me know your opinions because right now .. im not to sold on them..

These are the orange box Bergers for hunting/target.... did i get the wrong ones that most all of you shoot for hunting?

 

[FEENIX]

I prefer the 210 and 215 (in my .300 Win Mag but ran out) but last year I harvested a young bull elk at 931 yards. Not DRT as it managed to run ~ 200 yards and eventually dropped into a ravine ~600 down a ravine despite a huge puddle of blood at POI and a profusely flowing blood trail leading to it's final rest ... but a successful harvest nonetheless. gun)

 

[bushwackr]

I had the same thing happen in the 13 deer season with the 95 gr hybrid hunters in my 243. My brother was on the rifle. He had a picture perfect shot broadside a few yards shy of 300. When he sent the pill the deer dropped like it was hit by lighting, a few minutes later we were rounded up our things and went out after it. well it ran away, found it by the river about 75 yds away. It was hit nice right in the armpit , didnt hit bones punched between ribs, holes in lungs and some tissue damage but no bullet expansion. Just holes in and out

 

[bushwackr]

I shot the 190s vld hunters out of my 300 wm , I intentionally took a shoulder bone shot so I know the bullet would expand. well if was a mess looked like a grenade went off in its chest. Not complaining bullet did its part , but wow what a mess

 

[NW Hunter]

I got a bang flop on my deer last hunt with a Berger hunt VLD 190.
It was a quartering away shot at 470 yards.
The bullet fragmented lacing the heart, lungs and destroying 3 vertebrae up between the shoulder blades.
Aim point was in line with the far side front leg middle body.
Muzzle velocity was 3018fps.
I have shot them into a dirt bank before and the Berger looked like a banana. I have read they open up with hydrostatic pressure, ie body fluids.
I did have a particular batch of 190s that had badly formed hollowpoints. Broz has commented before that he inserts the end of a paper clip into the end of the hollow point to make sure it will open up in the body.
Don't give up yet, they fly real nice to 1000 yards.

 

[Jud96]

A tipped Berger would be interesting to help guarantee expansion on game.

 

[MontanaRifleman]

I got a bang flop on my deer last hunt with a Berger hunt VLD 190.
It was a quartering away shot at 470 yards.
The bullet fragmented lacing the heart, lungs and destroying 3 vertebrae up between the shoulder blades.
Aim point was in line with the far side front leg middle body.
Muzzle velocity was 3018fps.
I have shot them into a dirt bank before and the Berger looked like a banana. I have read they open up with hydrostatic pressure, ie body fluids.
I did have a particular batch of 190s that had badly formed hollowpoints. Broz has commented before that he inserts the end of a paper clip into the end of the hollow point to make sure it will open up in the body.
Don't give up yet, they fly real nice to 1000 yards.

Hydraulic action will work better in expanding them and it is important to inspect all the bullets with a staple. paper clip might be a little too big... never tried one. I have found anywhere form about 10-30% of the tips are blocked. I can usually twist the staple around and open maybe half of those. The blocked ones I use for load development and range work.

 

[Bear Camp]

Shooting into a log is not the same as an animal. The wood does not expand a bullets like flesh and blood! As a kid I have chopped/split/dug pounds of bullets out of trees and stumps at the local shooting areas in the national forest. They look jusg like someone said, bent bannas with the hallow points closed off. Shoot into a bunch of wet phone books or gallon jugs of water and you will see the difference! So don't take my word for it and try it for your self so you can be better informed.

Checking to see if the bullets start out with a hallow tip like Broz has mentioned is a good idea and would recommend it a second time.

 

[Dosh]

Magedon, every animal I and my son have shot with Berger VLD's dropped like rocks with massive internal organ damage. Not so much internal damage on logs. Hit a pine tree once with a 210 Berger in 2008 and it is still alive as of last Labor Day.

 

[FEENIX]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8j-7D-bubQ]Short Range Capabilities of Berger Bullets - YouTube[/ame]